55
United Rugby Championship News
The United Rugby Championship (URC), previously known as the Pro14,
is one of Europe’s three major professional rugby leagues. It consists
of 16 teams from five countries: Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa
and Wales.
The URC initially originated from the Welsh-Scottish
league in 1999. Since, it has also been known as the Celtic League, the
Magners League, the Pro12 and the Pro14. The current name, the United
Rugby Championship, was adopted in 2021.
LATEST NEWS
LOAD MORE
United Rugby Championship Teams, Records & Format
The United Rugby Championship is contested annually from September to May. The teams are divided into four regional pools: The Irish Pool,
the Scottish and Italian Pool, the South African Pool and the Welsh
Pool. Each team plays their pool opponents twice (home and away), and
teams from the other pools once.
The top eight teams progress to
the play-offs (quarter-final, semi-final and final). These eight teams
also automatically qualify for the European Rugby Championship Cup.
Historically, the United Rugby Championship has been dominated by Ireland. Irish
teams have secured 14 titles, while Welsh sides have taken six.
Meanwhile, Scottish and South African teams have won one tournament
each. An Italian team is yet to win the URC.
The Irish team
Leinster have claimed the most titles with eight wins. This is followed
by Munster (4), Ospreys (4) and Scarlets (2).
Searching for this season’s United Rugby Championship predictions? Keep up with the latest URC rugby news and updates here at Rugby365.